Never Too Late To Write

On creating a writing life in the second act

Infographic: Second Act Writers Are Busy People!

by

The survey has been a blast.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading your responses, especially when you had something of your own to add.

Most important to me, however, has been what it’s told me: everyone is busy … really busy … but you know what you need. Just look at the numbers down below; the Writers’ Hierarchy of Needs speaks loud and clear.

Truthfully, I’m not surprised. While we all need a little coaching and inspiration along the way, when it comes to our writing we know what we need to do with it most of the time.

In contrast, the business and technology we have to work with to get our stuff out there and make a living … THAT’S what gets overwhelming and frustrating in a hurry.

📊 2016 Reader Survey Results

Writers' Hierarchy of Needs

Time management and motivation are key challenges

Second Act Writers

Busy people pursuing their writing dreams

Writing Life

Building sustainable writing practices

Survey insights reveal what second act writers need most

So, while I had my suspicions before the survey, now I know for sure how I’m going help you in the future. The long-term plans are in motion!

Thanks again to everyone who put in a response. Which reminds me …

For those of you who don’t follow me on Facebook, or just simply missed the big announcement, we have our winners!

🎉 Survey Winners

RJ

Roxanne Jones

Writer and blogger at Boomer Haiku

Won: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

WT

Walker Thornton

Writer and blogger at Walker Thornton

Won: What to Do When It's Your Turn by Seth Godin

Congratulations to you both and I hope you enjoy your new books! 🎉

So, what do you think of the results? Are you surprised by any of the numbers?

Please share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Thanks so much, Tracey! This is really interesting. I agree with one of your earlier comments, that it could be a perception of time. I’m lucky enough right now to have been able to completely clear a couple months of my schedule to devote it to my writing. Others, I know, are less fortunate, but you are the only one who can write your story. Nobody else can write it in your voice, or style, so as hard as it might be, it is crucial to find time.

    Hugs,
    Em
    Em Fairley recently posted…Creative Musings ~ Faith, Hope and LoveMy Profile

    • So true! Time is the big challenge for so many of us, isn’t it?
      Two clear months sounds so wonderful! Enjoy every moment.
      Thanks so much for popping by Em!

    • Thanks Mary. The graphics tell an interesting story, don’t they?
      It made the whole difference — viewing the results that way. Otherwise, they’re just a pile of numbers.

  5. Thank you for this interesting article. It’s nice to know that we have the some basic thoughts and struggles. Your infographics were great! I would never know how to create them.

    • Thanks Lori! At first, I was just going to create some graphs and share them, and then it dawned on me that combining all of it would make a good infographic! It was fun, and I think what makes them work is when a number of graphic images are brought together to tell a story. There has to be an overall message.
      You’d be surprised; I’m sure you could do it!

  6. Hi Tracey! Thank you for your survey results. I too was curious about what it would reveal. I think it’s interesting that so many of us have difficulty with “making time.” Could it be more a problem with priorities than time? We all have lots of choices to make in any given day and we must decide what is most important to us. Of course, I’d be really curious if all those who felt they didn’t have enough time were attempting to blog many times a week. Time isn’t a problem for me because I found I could do one good post a week and that fits my schedule perfectly. Fleshing out this issue could be really interesting. At any rate, I’m looking forward to seeing what directions you take here on the blog from here on out. ~Kathy
    Kathy @ SMART Living 365 recently posted…Do You Know The Point Of Your Life Story?My Profile

    • Hi Kathy! Time always seems to be a top issue. Monica over at Acorn-Oak-Forest (http://www.acornoakforest.com/) has been writing about it this month because she has also gotten similar input from readers.
      Is it a story we tell ourselves? I wonder. I would guess priorities do come into play sometimes … and distractions, worries, and the push and pull of other commitments. I know for myself, if I have other things vying for my time, I find it difficult to settle my mind enough.
      I’m thinking a lot about what I’ve learned from the survey, as well as from some recent course materials and webinars, plus where I’d like to take my work over the next few years. I hope to get some time to process and reflect this week and then yes, I hope we can chat soon!

    • Hi Haralee, I found that interesting as well.
      It makes me wonder about our perception of time in general. Or maybe it’s more how we choose to perceive it, or how we’ve grown used to perceiving it. Have we gotten used to thinking we don’t have enough, so therefore we don’t?
      I was also surprised that procrastination was equal to time: we don’t have enough time but we procrastinate anyway. I wonder if we procrastinate by making ourselves busy?

    • Thanks Walker. It was fun seeing how all the responses fit together and creating the graphics did that most effectively.
      It will change the direction I take here on this website, which I somewhat expected, so that I can help where people need it most.